Definition of microgamete in English:
microgamete
noun ˈmʌɪkrəʊˌɡamiːt-ɡəˈmēt
Biology (especially in protozoans) the smaller of a pair of conjugating gametes, usually regarded as male.
Example sentencesExamples
- The nucleus of the female parasite moves to the surface where a small protuberance is formed and into this, penetrates the microgamete forming a zygote.
- Soon after release, the originally motile female microgametes begin to settle on a surface and start to secrete a chemical signal.
- Fertilisation occurs when the microgamete fuses with the macrogamete to form first a zygote, then a motile ookinete.
- The sexual phase of the Plasmodium life cycle is completed with the fertilization of a macrogamete by a flagellar microgamete, and the subsequent generation of sporozoites.
- Each of these processes becomes a male gamete termed a microgamete which is equivalent to a mammalian spermatozoon.